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Objective:To establish a hydride generation atomic fluorescence method using ammonium persulfate as the digestion reagent for determination of arsenic in urine (hereinafter referred to as this method).Methods:The collected urine samples with ammonium persulfate were heated and digested on the tubular electric heating automatic control constant temperature digester (60 holes), with 5% hydrochloric acid solution as reaction medium and current carrier and 1.5% potassium borohydride solution as reducing agent. Arsenic content was determined with a four-channel atomic fluorescence spectrometer. The arsenic standard solution of 0 - 10 μg/L was prepared to determine the standard curve of this method, and the method was evaluated from the detection limit, linear range, correlation coefficient, precision, standard addition recovery experiment, and urine arsenic quality control sample detection. The standard method "Determination of Arsenic in Urine by Hydride Generation Atomic Fluorescence Spectrometry" (WS/T 474-2015, referred to as the standard method) was used for comparison experiments.Results:When the sampling volume was 1 ml, the detection limit of this method (digest with 1 ml 1.5 mol/L ammonium persulfate) was 0.03 μg/L. In the range of arsenic content from 0 - 10 μg/L, the linear relationship between arsenic content and fluorescence intensity was good, and the correlation coefficients ( r) were all 0.999 9. The relative standard deviations( RSD) of the three replicates of urine samples with different concentrations were 1.00%, 0.89% and 0.49%, respectively. Urine arsenic quality control samples were tested, and the test results were all within the range of public values; the overall average recovery was 102.29%, and the recovery range was 92.10% - 108.15%. Compared with the standard method in the determination results of 20 urine samples, the difference was not statistically significant ( t = - 0.40, P > 0.05). Conclusions:The hydride generation atomic fluorescence spectrometry using ammonium persulfate as digestion reagent for the determination of arsenic in urine has the advantages of low detection limit, good precision, high accuracy, small amount of sampling and digestion reagent, simple operation, and less harmful gas generation in sample pretreatment. It is suitable for rapid determination of arsenic in urine in large quantities.
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Objective:Partial stereotactic ablative boost radiotherapy(P-SABR)is a method to deliver SABR boost to the gross tumor boost volume(GTVb), followed by conventionally fractionated radiotherapy to the whole tumor area(GTV). GTVb is the max volume receiving SABR while ensuring the critical organ-at-risk(OAR)falloff to 3 GyE/f. We investigated the potential advantage of proton therapy in treating bulky non-small cell lung cancer(the tumor length greater than 8 cm).Methods:Nine patients with bulky NSCLC treated with photon P-SABR in our institute were selected. For the treatment planning of proton therapy, the GTVb target area was gradually outwardly expanded based on the photon GTVb target area until the dose to critical OARs reached 3 GyE/f. The GTV and CTV areas remained the same as photon plan. A proton intensity-modulated radiation treatment plan(proton-IMPT), a photon intensity-modulated radiation treatment plan(photon-IMRT)and a photon volumetric modulated arc therapy(photon-VMAT)were created for each patient, respectively. The dosimetric parameters of different treatment plans were compared.Results:The volume ratio of GTVb-photon and GTVb-proton to GTV was(25.4±13.4)% and(69.7±30.0)%,respectively( P<0.001). In photon-IMRT, photon-VMAT, and proton-IMPT plan groups, the mean dose of CTV was(76.1±4.9)Gy, (78.2±3.6)Gy, and(84.7±4.9)Gy, respectively; the ratio of tumor volume with Biologic Effective Dose(BED)≥ 90 Gy to GTV volume was(70.7±21.7)%, (76.8±22.1)%,and(97.9±4.0)%,respectively. The actual dose and BED to the tumor area of the proton-IMPT plan group were significantly higher than those of the photon plan group(both P<0.05). Besides, the OARs dose was significantly decreased in the proton-IMPT group, with(49.2±22.0)%, (56.8±19.0)% and(16.1±6.3)% of the whole lung V5 for photon-IMRT, photon-VMAT and proton-IMPT, respectively(all P<0.001). Conclusions:Larger GTV boost target volume, higher BED and reduced OARs dose can be achieved in proton plans compared with photon plans. Proton P-SABR is expected to further improve the local control rate of bulky NSCLC with fewer adverse effects.
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Objective:To explore the amplitude of normal kidney motion in the 3D direction and its influencing factors under free-breathing condition.Methods:Clinical data of 28 patients with a KPS score≥80 who received 4D CT scan from March 2018 to March 2019 were collected. All patients were diagnosed with liver, pancreatic or lung tumors. The kidney was outlined and the geometric center and 3D coordinate values were recorded. The motion of bilateral kidneys in each direction and the 3D direction was calculated. The volume of kidney and surrounding organs, age, sex, height and body mass index (BMI) were recorded. Clinical data were statistically compared by t-test or nonparametric test. Results:The motion of the left and right kidneys in the the sup-inf (SI) direction were the largest up to (8.39±3.18) mm and (7.71±3.55) mm. The motion amplitudes of bilateral kidneys in male patients were significantly larger than those of the female counterparts in the left-right (LR), SI and 3D directions (all P<0.05). The motion amplitudes of bilateral kidneys in patients taller than 165 cm were significantly larger than those of their counterparts with a height of ≤165 cm (all P<0.05). Patients with a BMI≥25 kg/m 2 had significantly larger motion amplitudes of the left kidney in the LR and ant-post (AP) directions compared with those of normal weight counterparts (all P<0.05). The motion amplitude of the left kidney in the AP direction in patients with the left kidney volume of >180 cm 3 was significantly larger than that of patients with smaller left kidney volume ( P=0.014). Age was not significantly associated with kidney motion in each direction ( P>0.05). Conclusions:Kidney motion mainly occurs in the SI direction. The kidney motion amplitudes in male and taller patients are larger. Special attention should be paid to the use of breath motion control device to decrease the normal tissue damage.
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Objective:To evaluate the effect of setup errors from daily cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) on the accumulated dose under different image-guidance (IG) strategies, aiming to investigate the appropriate IG strategies during radiotherapy for the spine metastases.Methods:A total of 720 CBCT scans of 36 vertebral lesions were obtained. All 36 lesions were divided into the simultaneous boosting (PTV 40 Gy/20f, GTV 60 Gy/20f, n=20) and conventional radiotherapy groups (PTV 40 Gy/20f, n=16). The actual fractionated plan was recalculated simulatively after transferring the isocenter of the initial plan according to the interfraction setup error. Under no daily image-guidance (no-DIG) strategies including twice imaging guidance weekly (TIG), initial 5 days then weekly imaging guidance (5D+ WIG), WIG and no imaging guidance (NIG), the dose deviation was calculated between the delivered dose accumulated by each actual fractionated plan and the dose distribution under DIG. The tolerance of dose deviation for the target was within ±5% and the D max of the spinal cord was limited below 45 Gy. Results:Under different image-guidance strategies of TIG, 5D+ WIG, WIG and NIG, the median dose deviation was approximately ±1% for the CTV D 95% and D max of spinal cord. However, the median dose deviation was beyond -5% for the PTV D 95% when conventional radiotherapy was given. The median dose deviation was approximately 10% for the D max of spinal cord and the proportion of cases whose maximum irradiated dose of spinal cord was more than 4500 cGy was ≥70%. Also, the median dose deviation was beyond -5% for the GTV D 95% and PTV D 95% when simultaneous boosting was delivered. Conclusions:Because the dose deviation of CTV and spinal cord is within the tolerance limit, the image-guidance strategies could be chosen according to the clinical practice when conventional radiotherapy is delivered. However, the dose deviation of spinal cord, GTV and PTV exceeds the tolerance limit under no-DIG strategies when simultaneous boosting is delivered. Hence, it is necessary to perform daily IGRT for the spine metastases.
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Due to untypical clinical manifestations, difficulty of diagnosis and treatment, and poor prognosis, the early and accurate diagnosis of cardiovascular infection is very important. 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) PET/ CT has been widely applied in the diagnosis of infection. This article reviews the role of 18F-FDG PET/ CT in the diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular infection, such as infectious endocarditis, cardiac implantable electronic device infection, and vascular prosthetic graft infection.
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Objective To apply real-time transperineal ultrasound ( TPUS) to monitor the intra-fractional prostate motion,collect and analyze the data of the prostate motion,aiming to provide evidence for the optimization of the target area and plan of radiotherapy for prostate cancer. Methods TPUS is a non-invasive monitoring technique that utilizes an automatic scanning ultrasound probe to dynamically monitor and correct the motion of organs during radiotherapy. In this study, TPUS was utilized to collect 1588 intra-fractional data of 70 patients with prostate cancer. Prior to each cycle of radiotherapy,CBCT was adopted to correct the errors between intra-factional data by using VMAT. During radiotherapy, real-time ( once per second) ultrasound images were acquired to monitor the 3D motion of the prostate on the x (left+,right-),y (cranial+, caudal-), and z ( abdominal+, dorsal-) axes, emphasizing the analysis of 4D motion of the prostate. Results All patients successfully completed the treatment and data collection. The median time of effective monitoring per faction was 179 seconds (132-286 seconds). During 95% of the monitoring time,the distance of prostate motion was 2. 22 mm in the left direction,2. 17 mm in the right,2. 08 mm in the cranial, 1. 98 mm in the caudal,2. 44 mm in the abdominal and 2. 97 mm in the dorsal direction,respectively. In the x,y and z axes,the percentage of time in which the distance of prostate motion less than 1 mm among the total time was 83. 07%,85. 46% and 78. 27%,respectively,whereas 97. 70%,97. 87% and 96. 45% for＜3 mm, respectively. Conclusions TPUS is a non-invasive real-time monitoring technique,which can detect the 4D motion of the prostate during radiotherapy. By using VMAT,the range of prostate motion is relatively small, and the motion range is less than 3 mm in each direction within 95% of the time.
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Objective To investigate the current status of nursing undergraduate students′ self-differentiation and career adaptability and analyze the correlation of the two, so as to provide a reference for nursing educators to offer employment guidance. Methods The Undergraduate Self-Differentiation Scale and The College Students′Career Adaptability Questionnaire were used to investigate 341 nursing undergraduates. Results The mean scores of the self-differentiation and the career adaptability were (3.70±0.60) points and (3.60±0.42) points, respectively. It showed that the total score of self-differentiation and its each dimension were positively correlated with career adaptability, the Pearson correlation coefficients were career adjustment 0.26, career interpersonal 0.38, career curiosity 0.32, career confidence 0.39, career concerns 0.27, career control 0.46, and the coefficients between two total scales were 0.46 (all P<0.05). Conclusions The self-differentiation level of nursing undergraduates could affect their career adaptation level, and clinical nursing educators can take corresponding measures to improve their career adaptability based on the characteristics of nursing students′self-differentiation.
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Objective To explore the factors related with neurological function in children after hemispherectomy for intractable epilep-sy. Methods Thirty-three children suffered hemispherectomy from May, 2014 to June, 2015 were analyzed. Their preoperative data were col-lected. A structured questionnaire was used to evaluate the neurological function. The relationship between preoperative parameters and post-operative functional outcomes was analyzed. Results Bilateral lesions in MRI (P<0.001) and age (P<0.001) were related with functional out-come. Conclusion The prognosis of hemispherectomy for children with intractable epilepsy is related to the contralateral lesion and age.
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Objective To study the recovery of the outer hair cells in the bat cochlea after gentamicin exposure.Methods Bats were injected with a daily dose of gentamicin for 15 consecutive days and bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU)was given from day 16 to day 40 of this recovery phase. Hearing was assessed by overt acoustic behavior and auditory brainstem responses analysis, which was performed one day prior to the first injection and a day after the last injection (day 16). On day 40 animals were sacrificed for detection of cells that could take up BrdU. Results After 15 days of gentamicin treatment, all of the animals were proved to be deafened with significant increases of ABR thresholds,compared with control group. The findings in immunocytochemical stained samples and scanning electron microscopy revealed that BrdU labeled nuclei were observed in the cochlea in all of the deafened animals most commonly in the regions of the first-row and second-row Deiter's cells (DCs) and occasionally in the regions of the third-ruw DCs.Conclusion We suggest that, under sufficient drug and enough time, the bat cochlear supporting cells can directly transdifferentiate into the outer hair cells after aminoglycoside exposure. This transdifferentation process is essential for repair of outer hair cells and recovery of normal function after gentamicin exposure.
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Objective To understand the effect of transforming growth factor-?_(2)(TGF-?_(2)) on the expression and activity of matrix metalloproteinase-2(MMP_(2)) in cultured bovine trabecular cells and to investigate the role of TGF-?_(2) in the pathogenesis of primary open angle glaucoma(POAG). Methods TM cells were incubated in DMEM containing 1.0?g/L TGF-?_(2) or 1.0?g/L TGF-?_(2) with 100mg/L murine monocolonal anti-human PAI-1 IgG or DMEM without any experimental reagent for 24, 36, 48h, respectively. The expression of MMP_(2) or plasminogen activator inhibitor-1(PAI-1) were assayed by Western blot. Results TGF-?_(2 )could enhance the expression of pre-form MMP_(2) and PAI-1. PAI-1 neutralizing antibody could promote transformation of the pre-form MMP_(2) to it's active form. Conclusion TGF-?_(2) can cause the accumulation of ECM in trabecular meshwork by inhibiting the activation process of pre-form MMP_(2), and thus cause the increase of aqueous humor outflow resistance, which contributes to the pathogenesis of POAG.
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Objective To observe the morphological changes of corneal nerve in experimental herpes simplex keratitis (HSK) in rabbit eyes. Methods Inoculation of the scarified cornea with herpes simplex virus-Ⅰ(HSV-Ⅰ)leads to herpetic infection of cornea. The HSK was detected by slit lamp and polymerase chain reaction(PCR), and the changes of corneal nerves in various periods with methylene blue vital staining and ultrastructure of corneal nerve were studied. Results Under light microscope, fewer corneal nerve bundles were observed, scattered with lower density of nerve fiber at center of cornea on the 4th day after the infection. At days 7 and 14, the seriously damaged nerve fiber was intermittent. The neuraxon became shorter with little polarity and the density of nerve fiber was extremely low. At day 30, the density was still low while the nerve fiber was approximately normal. Under electromicroscope, at day 4, the lamellar sheath of nerve fiber in the epitheliums appeared intermittent, and the neuroplasm of endings was partly lysed. During day 7 to day 14,neuroplasm was damaged and became vacuolar. The mitochondria swelled with vacuolar crest, and then were destroyed and lysed. The nerves in stroma were also injured. On day 30, neurilemma sheath was still intermittent with the decrease of microfilament and racuole. Conclusion HSK leads to the damage of nerve and the decrease of nerval density, and the damage of corneal nerve repairs very slowly.